When she followed Sesshoumaru-sama
by SausanLily of the Valley
Summary: It all began when she decided to follow the injured youkai she had met in forest.
1. Chapter 1 Her Smile

Chapter 1: Her Smile

Rin slowly opened her eyes. The blurred image before her began to sharpen.

"Uh…?" she stared up at the person cradling her. It was him...the youkai in the forest. He didn't look hurt anymore nor did he look at her coldly. He simply stared at her, cocking his head to one side as he let her up.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, did you just revive the girl with the Tenseiga?" piped an old voice by her side.

The youkai simply stood and walked away, leaving Rin to gaze at him. His long silver hair flowed like water down his back. He walked with slow but steady steps. The grey fluffy thing hung down from his shoulder, swaying gently as he went.

 _Sesshoumaru-sama…_ Rin thought. _Is that his name? Did he just rescue me from the wolves? He doesn't hate me after all._

Life in the village definitely was behind her. It seemed, even for her little mind, like she had no other comfort in the world other than the youkai who had so gently held her.

 _Even his eyes were gentle,_ Rin thought. _No one after Mother, Father, and Brother had looked at me like he did. And the last time he spoke to me, he had asked about the bruises on my face… He_ does _care about me._

Rin started to follow after the youkai.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, omachi kudasai," the little youkai yelped, pitter-pattering. "Oi...little girl, what are you doing? Why are you following us?"

"My name is Rin, what is your name, sir?"

Rin thought the little green youkai looked very ugly. His yellow eyes were so big and his face was wrinkled. _But he does look cute. He's smaller than me._ Rin suppressed a chuckle. It was bad manners to laugh at your elders, her mother always used to remind her.

"I am known as Jaken-sama, and that is my lord, Sesshoumaru-sama, the inu daiyoukai, famous across the land and far beyond. If you had any sense, little girl, you would have thanked - huh?"

Rin stepped in front of her saviour who had abruptly stopped walking.

 _She can speak now?_ thought Sesshoumaru. The last time they met, she was mute.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, please accept Rin's gratitude for saving Rin's life. Rin promises not to be a bother and be of any service to Sesshoumaru-sama should he require help," Rin bowed respectfully. She looked up into the youkai's face.

 _Sesshoumaru-sama seems to be thinking,_ she thought and added, _"_ Please allow Rin to follow you. _"_

"Ha? Silly girl, what could you do to help Sesshoumaru-sama? You are just a ningen. A ningen _child_ , at that. I, Jaken, am sufficient as servant to my great Sesshoumaru-sama…"

"Jaken."

"Hai?" the little youkai said, waiting reverently for his master's command.

Sesshoumaru looked forward. "Shut up."

Rin looked at her toes. The little youkai was being mean, she thought. _I did help Sesshoumaru-sama when he was injured in the forest._

"Ikuzo." Sesshoumaru walked ahead, leaving Jaken gaping and Rin smiling widely.

The two followed the great youkai along the forest path. Jaken slowed down his pace, though, being slighted by his master. For all the years he had served Sesshoumaru, having to follow commands he could not comprehend was normal – he felt a sense of duty and great servitude towards his master. But never had Sesshoumaru taken the side of a ningen.

 _In fact,_ Jaken mused inwardly, _Sesshoumaru-sama has never conversed with any of them…not that he ever needed to – those ningen fools who had tried to slay Sesshoumaru-sama with their lowly weapons had been dead in matter of split seconds. So why did Sesshoumaru-sama use his Tenseiga on this little girl? Why not turn her away?_

"By the way, my name is Rin."

Jaken snorted. "You've told us already."

"Sesshoumaru-sama has recovered," said the little girl. "Rin is very happy."

 _Happy…_ Sesshoumaru thought. _She's happy for a youkai._ The little ningen child is a strange specimen of the race he so hated. A ningen child worrying over a youkai. Sesshoumaru could not understand why he had revived the girl from her death. Even though he had never used Tenseiga's power, he never doubted his father's memento. He knew in his heart that Tenseiga could revive the dead. But he, Sesshoumaru, had never seen reason to do any such thing. Youkai protected themselves. The weaker ones get slain by the stronger amongst them. It was natural in his world. As such, Sesshoumaru never understood his father's motives for forging a _katana_ whose sole purpose is to revive the dead.

 _The weak ones die,_ he thought. _Kono Sesshoumaru is not weak… Yet, why did I revive her?_

The little girl's smiling face came to his mind. _Her smile,_ he pondered. _No one has ever smiled at me._

A loud rumble shook Sesshoumaru out of his reverie. He looked down at the little girl. She was holding her tummy, blushing.

"Jaken, find some food for Rin."

The little youkai's already large eyes threatened to bulge out of their sockets. "Sesshoumaru-sama, am I the little ningen's servant, now?!"

"If you dally, I'll kill you."

"Oh, no, Sesshoumaru-sama. Rin will follow Jaken-sama, too. Rin is used to finding her own food," she tugged at the little green hand. "Let's go, Jaken-sama. Is there a river or pond nearby? We might catch some fish! But you mustn't make too much noise, or they'll hear us and swim away."

Jaken's mouth dropped.

* * *

Author's note:

Youkai – full-fledged demon

Omachi kudasai – please wait (formal)

Inu daiyoukai – great dog demon

Ningen – human

Ikuzo – let's go

Katana – Japanese sword

Kono Sesshoumaru – This Sesshoumaru


	2. Chapter 2 The New Kosode

Chapter 2: The New Kosode

Jaken could not stop glowering after the little girl. She quite unknowingly went on through the bushes in search for any food consumable. It was growing dark; night was quickly approaching and in a dense forest such as they were foraging through, scouring for food was a very tedious task. The only source of light was the rays of the setting sun peeking through the tall trees above, casting shadows on the forest floor as the leaves swayed gently with the occasional breeze. The two of them had given up looking for source of water; they had wandered enough to confirm that no fishing was possible. Rin had never been this deep in the forest, though it lay on the outskirts of the village she lived in. The time she had met Sesshoumaru was her first ever venture deeper into the forest. She had been looking for a quiet spot to get away from the little boys who had been bullying her. The boys never dared to enter the forest, that she knew. What luck it had been, thought Rin, when the first time she went deeper into the forest, she met the kindest person, even though he was a youkai.

 _Sesshoumaru-sama , the youkai who saved me,_ she thought.

She heard another growl behind her. It was the umpteenth time, she thought, as she bent to pluck some mushrooms from the overgrown roots of a tree.

"Ne, ne, Jaken-sama?" she began.

Another grunt.

"You don't like me?"

"I don't like humans. What more imposing, interfering, little brats like you, making me find your food for you..." the little youkai's green face began to glow a slight tinge of red.

Rin looked down at the mushrooms gathered in her lap.

"Gomen nasai, Jaken-sama… It's just… I have no one to go home to. My mother, father, and brother have all died. The villagers hate me. Some wolves and their youkai leader had attacked the village before you and Sesshoumaru-sama found me. I can't really remember much after that, except..." she turned to look at the little youkai. "I hope you won't hate me, too, Jaken-sama."

Jaken had never actually spoken much to humans himself. He struggled at this conversation - he shocked himself when he felt slight sadness at the girl's story. Disgruntled with himself, he merely coughed, cleared his throat, and coughed some more before turning his back on the little girl, "And you talk too much! Get your mushrooms and follow me. Sesshoumaru-sama has been waiting too long."

Unknownst to Jaken, the little girl smiled softly behind. 

It was well into midnight. The forest was pitch dark except for the flames of the little campfire Jaken had made. Everything was silent around the two youkai and the little girl, occasionally broken by the sound of the crackling wood and the highs and lows of Jaken's snoring.

Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on the little girl now asleep. The bruises on her face had disappeared when he revived her. Yet, Sesshoumaru could not forget that little pathetic face. She had looked up at him and smiled widely when all he did was ask how she had got the bruises.

 _Rin…_ he said the girl's name in his head. 

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Where are you, Sesshoumaru-sama?!"

Rin sat quite perplexed. Her head turned left and right, left-right, left-right. Jaken was running a little crazy. He would stop once or twice to wring his ears or beat his head against the Nintoujou, moaning for his master to come back for him. Rin did not dare ask Jaken any questions for fear of being scolded. Finally, Jaken gave up wailing; he dropped to the ground and gazed at the sky.

"Ne, Jaken-sama," Rin began after a while of silence.

A growl.

"Will Sesshoumaru-sama come b-"

"You insolent little brat!" Jaken spat, waving his Nintoujou at her. "How dare you call on Sesshoumaru-sama's name, you troublesome ningen! I don't even know how you have the nerve to stay here."

Rin stared at Jaken's puffy face. He looked like an overripe gourd.

"What do you think you are to Sesshoumaru-sama? You are a lowly ningen, you don't belong here. So I suggest you get up right now, and get back where you belong."

"I have nowhere to go, Jaken-sama," she said softly, looking into her lap. Tears formed at the corner of her eyes. Rin tried so hard not to let them fall.

"That's not my problem anymore than it were Sesshoumaru-sama's...owww!"

A rock had flown out of nowhere and hit Jaken at the back of his head.

Rin looked around. Sesshoumaru was walking towards them. Behind him followed a magnificent two-headed beast. It had scales just like a dragon.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! I thought you had left me again," Jaken wailed.

Sesshoumaru paid him no attention. His eyes were fixed on the little girl.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin said, smiling at the daiyoukai. Her eyes shifted to the beast - Rin had never seen anything like it.

"Jaken, get ready to leave."

The little youkai got hold of the beast's reins and headed east out of the forest. Sesshoumaru followed in stride. He sensed the little girl stayed put.

"Rin, ikuzo."

Rin quickly caught up with him, walking by his side. She felt so happy. _Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't mind me following him._

Sesshoumaru stopped abruptly. "Rin, take this," he handed a wrapped package to her little hands. Rin had never received a present in her life. She set it down on the ground and pulled at the ribbon securing the package.

"Wah…." she exclaimed. "Sesshoumaru-sama… it's so pretty!"

"Go change into it," Sesshoumaru said. 

Jaken just realised his master was quite left behind. He hurried towards his master.

"What's the matter, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Jaken's mouth dropped the moment Rin appeared from behind a tree. She was wearing a brand new kosode. It was a simple but beautiful white and orange checkered pattern.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, it's so beautiful! Does Rin look pretty?" she twirled around.

"Do you like it?"

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Sesshoumaru-sama. Rin likes it so very much."

Jaken's mouth ached.


End file.
